Created for young-at-heart adventurers, this blog provides information about both domestic and international travel.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Domes, Domes and More Domes

Gospodnya

Probably one of the biggest changes that
resulted from Khrushchev leaving office was the re-emergence of religious
practices. This also opened opportunities for the restoration and
reconstruction of historical places of worship, monasteries, convents, and rectories.
And Orthodox churches are among the most beautiful, both inside and out. One of
the questions that arises when visiting these sites is, ‘What is the difference
between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church?’ There are
literally hundreds of websites that talk about the differences in belief
associated with Catholicism and with Orthodoxy, some with truly heated debates
of the issues. The DifferenceBetween.net
provides a rather succinct list without assigning value to either side. There
isn’t quite as much vitriol about how the church governances are structured:
the Catholic Church is headed by the Pope in Rome, the Russian Orthodox Church
(ROC) is headed by the Patriarch in St Petersburg (Leningrad). Although the Russian
government has been accused as making the Russian Orthodoxy the ‘official
religion’, we saw all sorts of churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples.

Georgiva

There is a great deal of symbolism in the number
and color of the domes of an ROC. One-come represents Jesus; the two-dome style
represents Jesus and Mary; the three-dome arrangement signifies the persons of
the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; a five-dome configuration denotes
Jesus and the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; 13 domes
represent Jesus and the Disciples. And what about the colors? Although not
strictly assigned, a gold dome stands for the light of God and his divine
nature; traditionally, black domes are a reminder of the suffering of Jesus and
the martyrs; blue is associated with the "God bearer," or mother of
Jesus, Mary; and white or silver is another symbol of the light of God but also
symbolizes righteousness, purity and holiness. In any case, these domes are
beautiful.Saint Basil’s
Cathedral doesn’t follow any of these rules. The Cathedral complex was

Art in Saint Basil's Cathedral

designed as ‘bonfire rising into the sky’ which is nothing like any other
Russian architecture. It was originally known as Trinity Church (later Trinity
Cathedral), containing eight side churches situated around the ninth, central
Church of Intercession. In 1588 the tenth church was built over the grave of a local
saint, Vasily (Basil), giving the Cathedral its name. The interior of the
Cathedral is highly decorated, with alters depicting saints, sacraments, and
other religious scenes. There are at least ten alters, each painted to reflect
the church to which they belong. Also there is art in each dome; a saint, angel
or deity looks down on the parishioners from that celestial height. The
passageways and ceilings exterior to each of these rooms are adorned with
Jacobean style flowers and designs in vivid colors. During Soviet supported
atheism, Saint Basil’s was confiscated from the ROC and turned into a museum. Since 1929 it has been
operated as a museum but in 1990 it became a part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red
Square UNESCO World Heritage Site. As such, females don’t have to cover their
heads upon entering. This is not true of other churches we visited.Some of the most beautiful churches are on the
grounds of the Kremlin. There are six churches within these grounds and when
you see them all in one day, it’s very confusing

Cathedral of the Annunciation

trying to tell one from the
other. Surprisingly, several were not designed by Russians but by an Italian
commissioned by the Tsars. The Cathedral
of the Annunciation has undergone much renovation throughout its life.
Begun in about 1397 by the Grand Duke Vassily I, it was completely redone some
90 years later when Ivan the Great wanted something new. The masons he hired
blended Greek and Russian styles into the design. In the 16th
century Ivan the Terrible added four side chapels, two more domes, and gilded
the lot. He was not allowed into the church because he married four times
(three was the church’s limit), so a porch was built for him to worship under
during the services (it’s a very posh porch). Since the Cathedral was the
‘family’ church of the Grand Dukes and Tsars, it was connected by passageways
to the private quarters of the royal family.

Cathedral of the Assumption

The Cathedral
of the Assumption, (also called Cathedral of the Dormition) the oldest
church in the Kremlin, is the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is
where the Tsars, Grand Dukes and emperors were crowned and also the place of
consecration of the Patriarchs, Metropolitans and Bishops. Begun in the mid-15th
Century, it was finished by Bolognese architect, Aristotle Fioravanti after an
earthquake completely destroyed it. Fioravanti began work quickly and the
church was built and consecrated in a year; this was the fastest any such
structure had ever been completed. The church has five gold cupolas,
representing Jesus and the four Gospels; there are huge frescoes on the east and
west sides. It is open to the public, but unless you attend a service you may
not be able to visit the church.There is no doubt that the Cathedral
of the Archangel was designed by Italian architect, Alionzo Lamberti da
Montanyano, (Alevisio Novi in Russian). Overlaying

Cathedral of the Archangel

Italian Renaissance styles
onto traditional Russian forms, Novi created a highly original structure.
Decorative details unusual in Russian architecture include cornices, pillars
with capitals, and a false arcade. The Archangel Michael was the patron saint
of the Muscovy rulers in the 1300s, thus Ivan the Great had this Cathedral
built to house burial vaults of the Russian royalty. Within the cathedral is a
14th Century icon showing the Archangel Michael in full armor.
Buried here are the forefathers Romanovs, Ivan the Terrible and his sons, as
well as other luminaries from Russian history.

Church of the Disposition of the Robe

The Church
of the Deposition of the Robe is a small edifice that was once the private
chapel of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs. Its name refers to the robe
of the Virgin Mary. This relic supposedly saved Istanbul (Constantinople) from
invaders on several occasions. While the relic is not housed here, there is a
Russian icon that was used in the same manner to protect Moscow; that icon is
in this church. Currently, there is an exhibition of Russian folk art that
includes early icons designed to be taken on trips by priests.The Cathedral
of the Twelve Apostles is part the Patriarch's Palace, built by Patriarch
Nikon (1652 - 1658). Although the atrium of the church led directly to the
Patriarch's stone cell, the Cathedral was the grand entrance to the Palace
which rivaled the Terem Palace in affluence and extravagance. The outside of the
Cathedral is rather plain, but inside there is a five-tiered iconostasis along
with 12th Century images of Peter and Paul.

Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles

Church of the Nativity

From the 1300s through the 1800s there were
eleven small, ‘family’ churches; of these, the Church of
the Nativity is the oldest remaining. It, along with the Chapel of Lazarus,
was built by Princess Evdokiya to honor the Russian forces that defeated the
Mongol Horde. The church was generally used by female servants and occasionally
by some of the royalty. Unfortunately, the Church and Chapel were neglected and
much of their art was lost. These cupolas are my favorite in the Kremlin simply
because they are so colorful and there are so many of them.The Cathedral
of Christ the Savior has several remarkable stories associated with it and
while all are basically the same, it’s the details that lend interest. One
thing you notice when you enter an Orthodox Church is that there are no

Cathedral of Christ the Savior

pews,
benches or chairs; people stand throughout the ceremony, coming and going as
they wish. The only people sitting are the choir and the officiants; they have
to be there for the entire service, so they need to sit. This Cathedral is a
huge place with one central area bounded by the iconostasis on one side and six
pillars that hold the dome. Our tour was of the rebuilt Cathedral, not the one
originally consecrated in 1883. The first Cathedral was on the site of the
Alekseevskiy Convent, near the banks of the Moscow River. With the rise of
communism, it became a target of the Soviet government and was leveled.
However, the faithful confiscated (stole) as many of the icons as they could,
made intricate drawings of the interior decorations and hid these artifacts
away before the destruction of the church. Once the rubble was cleared away,
foundations were poured for a monumental building on the same grand scale as
the Seven
Sisters. Now, depending who you read, the foundations were never stable and
continuously cracked thus the building was never built (this was

One of the Seven Sisters

caused by
Divine intervention); or World War II began and once ended, Khrushchev was not
interested in the project. Since this area still belonged to the government, it
was decided that the site should house the world’s largest outdoor swimming
pool. Again, either the Hand of God or the peccadilloes of man led to a
multitude of deaths in the pool and it was closed. In 2000, the reconstructed
Cathedral of Christ the Savior was opened to its large congregation. Although
you do have to be part of a tour to visit the observation deck, we were allowed
to see the church (and photography isn’t allowed) and participate in the service;
there is a basement museum with traveling exhibits as well as lower chapels
that you are free to wander through on your own, as well.